Snip fresh herbs, such as basil or thyme, all winter by growing herbs indoors.

Photo by Thomas Gibson

Whether you live in an apartment or house, in the long chilly winters of the North or the deep summer heat of the South, you can always grow your own herbs indoors to satisfy your craving for fresh herbs. Tender perennials such as bay and lemon verbena can live on in the controlled environment of your home, and a bush brimming with fresh basil leaves provides year-round culinary excitement. Other favorites such as rosemary, thyme, and oregano can be grown indoors as well. Although indoor herbs will usually be less productive than those grown outdoors, they’ll still give you plenty of fabulous flavor right at your fingertips, and you won’t have to worry about unpredictable spring or autumn frosts, marauding rabbits, or other outdoor hazards.

Some herbs such as caraway and chervil, are difficult to grow inside, but a surprising number of other herbs that will thrive given a little extra attention and the proper conditions, which include the right potting mix, fertilization, water, temperature, and light. To ensure success when you grow your own herbs indoors, it’s usually best to start with plants rather than seeds. Buying plants instead of seeds will put you months ahead (sometimes even a year), and you’ll know what you’re getting. Starting such a project in spring allows you to take advantage of increasing light as well as sales at your local garden center.

Picking the Right Herb Container

Anything from decorative ceramic pots and galvanized metal buckets to common plastic pots can be used as long as they provide adequate drainage. If your favorite decorative pot lacks necessary drainage holes, drill some or transplant your herb to a slightly smaller plastic container with holes that will fit inside it. Choose the largest pot possible to provide more room for growing roots, which will give you a bigger plant to harvest from.

Like any container-grown plant, herbs need a fast-draining potting mix to provide oxygen and prevent root rot. Garden soil just won’t cut it as it is heavy and compacts when used in containers. Look for a premium or professional mix that includes ingredients such as perlite or vermiculite to help loosen and aerate the final mix. I usually start with a high-quality potting mix, then add nutrient-rich compost or earthworm castings along with extra perlite or vermiculite.

Where to Plop Your Plants

Just like outdoors, there are different microclimates within your home. The area next to a window in winter may be too cold for some herbs, while a location near a woodstove or furnace is usually too hot and dry. Likewise, in summer, a large glass window can intensify the heat of the sun, burning some plants in the process.

When you grow your own herbs indoors, the ideal spot is one that receives at least five to six hours of bright light and has good air circulation with temperatures hovering between 45 and 75 degrees, though 55 to 70 degrees is better. Most herbs just won’t thrive in the dry indoor air common to many homes during winter. You can increase the humidity by grouping plants together (don’t crowd them too much) and setting them on water-filled trays with racks or pebbles. Just be sure that the bottom of the pot is not sitting in water.

Choose a sunny location in a sunroom or near a large window with a southern, southwest or southeast exposure. Consider that a roof overhang, patio roof and trees can reduce the intensity of light coming in. Even with our cloudy Pacific Northwest winters, our herbs still receive ample light in our sunroom. If your herbs become "leggy," a simple fluorescent work light with 4-foot tubes will get them the light they need for proper growth. Use grow lights such as Verilux bulbs or economize with one warm and one cool white light. Hang the fixture so that lights are 6 to 8 inches above the plants’ tops. Leave the lights on for 14 to 16 hours a day to keep the herbs actively growing.

Maintaining an Indoor Garden

How often have you heard someone say, “I watered my plant to death”? Overwatering is the single most common cause of indoor plant death. The second most common cause is underwatering. But watering isn’t complicated.

The amount of water each plant will need varies according to its size, the type and size of container it’s in, the time of year, and the type of plant. Plants are dormant, or growing less actively, during the lower light levels of winter, and therefore require less water.

Allow the potting mixture to dry slightly between waterings for rosemary, oregano, sage, thyme, bay and scented geraniums. Keep the mix slightly moist, like a wrung-out sponge, for plants such as basil, chives, lemon verbena and parsley. Let your finger tell you when it’s time to water. Stick your finger two inches into the potting mixture. If it’s dry, it’s time to water.

When herbs are actively growing, you’ll need to fertilize them with a liquid fertilizer every two to four weeks. Organic fertilizer granules that you scratch into the surface every month or two can be used instead of a liquid fertilizer. A healthy, well-tended herb won’t experience many pest attacks, but watch for whiteflies or aphids and use soap sprays to get rid of them.

To keep your indoor herb garden growing strong, repot perennial herbs as needed. Bring in fresh young plants of basil, parsley and sage to replace those that are short-lived or have become woody. And don’t forget the best part—harvesting and using your indoor herbs.

Planting Herbs Indoors: Top 10 Herbs to Grow

As a long-time organic gardener, I’ve grown herbs for both profit and pleasure—selling fresh herbs to our farmers’ market customers as well as enjoying them fresh in my kitchen or preserved in herbal products. Even though I grow both perennial and annual herbs outside in my 8,000 square foot herb, vegetable and flower garden, I still continue to grow them indoors as well in my sunroom, where I have discovered the following make great container plants for growing indoors.

• Basil (Ocimum spp.). Given five to six hours of direct light, this annual or short-lived perennial can also be grown from seed. (It germinates in six to twelve days at 68 to 78 degrees.) ‘African Blue’ is striking with purple-streaked foliage and charming light pink flowers. ‘Green Bouquet’ forms a dense, refined, 8- to 10-inch-high, globe-shaped bush. ‘Lemon’ offers wonderful lemon flavor (it makes a great tea) and grows to 15 inches tall. Finally, ‘Siam Queen’ is a must-have, for its attractive green leaves framed by purple stems and flowers, as well as its unique, spicy flavor.

• Bay (Laurus nobilis). This perennial grows slowly at first but will eventually form a bush or small tree that can be easily trained into formal shapes or a topiary. Because it takes several years just to reach 2 feet in height, it’s better to get a head start by purchasing a young, 1- to 2-foot-high tree instead.

• Chives (Allium schoenoprasum). Perhaps the easiest to grow of all indoor herbs, chives are an excellent choice for the beginner. ‘Grolau’ is a prolific producer for windowsill growing. For chives with a mild garlic flavor, try garlic chives (A. tuberosum). When harvesting chives, always cut leaves back to the potting-mix surface to keep a continual supply growing in.

• Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla). This tender perennial needs full sun and will naturally lose its leaves in the fall. But its luxuriant lemon scent and flavor is worth the brief mess. Use dried leaves in tea or fresh leaves to heighten the flavor of fish, poultry, vegetables, marinades, and salad dressings as well as baked goods.

• Oregano (Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum). This Greek oregano delivers authentic oregano flavor, growing to 12 inches in pots. Italian oregano (O. x majoricum) is a bit stronger, blending the flavors of oregano and sweet marjoram. Oregano remains productive for up to two years, but should be replaced when plants become woody.

• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum). Both Italian flat-leaf and curly parsley (‘Forest Green’ is a good curly variety) excel equally indoors in pots. This biennial herb can be started from seed in early spring (germination takes 15 to 28 days), or you can get a jump on the season and buy a plant from your local nursery or farmers’ market. When harvesting, cut the outer leaves, which will spur new growth from the center and keep parsley productive for up to nine months.

• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). Rosemary, like other plants native to the Mediterranean area, enjoys drier conditions, but it’s imperative that the potting mix of all indoor plants is never allowed to dry out completely or the plants may die. Any of the more compact varieties are ideal for pot culture. Trailing ‘Blue Boy’ may be compact in size at 24 inches tall, but its tiny leaves deliver big flavor. ‘Salem’ grows with a more upright habit but only to about 20 inches; it has equally great flavor and scent.

• Scented geranium (Pelargonium spp.). Fragrant, uplifting scented geraniums are in the upper echelon of herbs when it comes to garnishing foods such as custards, jellies, ice cream, sugars and tea with a delightful hint of flavor. Some of the best for container growing include ‘Rober’s Lemon Rose’, ‘Nutmeg’, ‘Lemon Balm’, ginger-scented ‘Torento’ and ‘Candy Dancer’.

Tip #1: Sprinkle a thin layer of ground cinnamon (NOT cinnamon oil) on the top of your indoor plants' soil to suffocate insect eggs and burrowed insects. Additionally, it will harmlessly repel your pets and feed the plant as it breaks down after multiple waterings.

Tip #2: Use a separate saucer for optimal drainage. The planter and attached saucer combo seems to be the latest trend in indoor gardening design, and people think they’re saving money by purchasing two for the price of one. The problem? The drainage can be poor.

Tip #3: Leave an open jug of water at room temperature for at least 24 hours before using it to water your plants. This allows some of the chemicals to leave the water and the temperature to normalize.

Even if you don’t have a sunroom or south-facing windows, you can grow your own herbs for the kitchen all year. The secret? Those stand-ins for the sun known as grow lights.

Grow lights can be found in gardening supply stores or online and vary from being attractive enough for the kitchen countertop to bare-bones and better suited to the utility room. Either way, with just a little work, even the most dimly lit house or apartment can grow enough herbs to enliven recipes through all the seasons.

Mint will grow well indoors in a variety of conditions, even just as cuttings sitting in a glass of water. But if you leave it starved for sunlight sitting in your kitchen window, you’ll sacrifice the potency of its leaves. Plant seeds in soil and set directly under a grow light, and your mint will have an unparalleled freshness with endless uses.

Dill, like most herbs, is best used fresh because it loses its flavor quickly after being harvested, meaning that what you get in the store is a shadow of the taste of what you’ll have at home. Dill tastes great as a seasoning for salmon, meats and soups, but is also a savory addition to rice. Additionally, the fernlike leaves and pretty yellow flowers will add texture to your indoor garden.

Cilantro can be a bit finicky to grow, but it’s worth it to be persistent and keep re-sowing seeds, because what you’ll end up with is a plant with 10 times more taste than anything you’ve experienced before. This herb is perfect for use in tacos and salsa. Garden-fresh salsa seasoned with cilantro has a crisp taste, and cilantro’s health benefits from its antioxidants are well-documented.

—Taylor Cole Miller is a freelance writer and amateur gardener who lives in Austin, Texas.